I popped in here on a bit of a whim on a friday night and was so pleased with what I ate, that I have talked about it a number of times since.
I was looking around for something to eat in this part of Mongkok. The problem was, I had places on my 'to try' list and there are so many options there. Well, this place (Fragrant Garden) was on my radar, but the picture of the bowl of noodles on the window just sucked me in tothe door.
I ended up gesturing to the picture enthusiastically and opting for medium spicy. Although this restaurant is a Yunnan place, the dish I ordered was hot spicy and sour sweet potato noodles in Guizhou style. While the server didn't speak English, she was very helpful and tried her best to help this (useless) Englishman.
I waited longer than many of the other customers, as they were all eating other dishes. Mine, clearly, took a little more work. Well, after a short wait (I didn't mind at all), a huge bowl came out to me. In it was a pile of thick, soft glass noodles, greens, roast pork, minced pork and bean sprouts. These plentiful elements were engulfed in an amazingly tangy and delicious broth.
The pork was cooked and seasoned wondefully and the the minced pork added a rich substance to the light broth. The green onions and (unknown to me) greens added a freshness and element of nature to the party. The beansprouts gave some crunch that counter-balanced the soft give of the glass-like sweet potato noodles. The hero of the whole dish was the broth. It was fabulous. It is actually haunting my dreams. It was a little spicy, sour and tangy with a nice sweetness under it all. I was blown away.
Having lived in many parts of Southeast Asia, I have come to appreciate the complexity of a great bowl of noodles in broth. If done well, it is heavenly. This dish will stay with me a long time. I am currently plotting to get my wife there ASAP. The dish was vast - more than I would normally eat, but I finished every last drop. That, when all is said and done, speaks louder than words ever could.
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